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Improved performance of deterministic lateral displacement arrays with triangular posts

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Abstract

Deterministic lateral displacement arrays have shown great promise for size-based particle analysis and purification in medicine and biology. Here, we demonstrate that the use of an array of triangular rather than circular posts significantly enhances the performance of these devices by reducing clogging, lowering hydrostatic pressure requirements, and increasing the range of displacement characteristics. Experimental data and theoretical models are presented to create a compelling argument that future designs of deterministic lateral displacement arrays should employ triangular posts. The effect of practical considerations, such as vertex rounding, post size, and shape, is also discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by award number U54CA143803 from the NCI and HG01506 from the NIH. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health. We thank Noah Jafferis for SEM characterization, Clinton Smith and Steve Chou for device etching, and David Inglis for providing circular post bead data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM), Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Kevin Loutherback, Robert H. Austin & James C. Sturm

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Kevin Loutherback, Kevin S. Chou, Jonathan Newman & James C. Sturm

  3. Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Jason Puchalla & Robert H. Austin

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  1. Kevin Loutherback
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  2. Kevin S. Chou
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  3. Jonathan Newman
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  4. Jason Puchalla
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  5. Robert H. Austin
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  6. James C. Sturm
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Correspondence to Kevin Loutherback.

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Loutherback, K., Chou, K.S., Newman, J. et al. Improved performance of deterministic lateral displacement arrays with triangular posts. Microfluid Nanofluid 9, 1143–1149 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-010-0635-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-010-0635-y

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